01
Clear goals and expectations
Everyone knows what good work looks like and how progress will be checked.
Camderson Academy · CA-WH-004
Help people do their best work, and make it fair.
A practical, self-paced course for managers, HR leads and team members. Build clear expectations, regular check-ins, feedback that helps, evidence-based reviews and records worth keeping.
About 5 hours · 12 lessons · Intermediate · Works with any system · Self-paced · Tools you keep
Make performance conversations clear, regular and fair.
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Feedback and check-ins that help
Small, regular conversations about the work, with support for growth.
03
Reviews and records you can trust
Evidence-based reviews, fairness checks and honest documentation.
Learning outcomes
What you will be able to do
Practical outcomes, each practiced in an exercise and checked in the final assessment or the capstone.
- Describe performance management as a year-round cycle.
- Write clear expectations and goals people can act on.
- Run regular check-ins and give feedback that helps.
- Write fair, evidence-based reviews and hold good review conversations.
- Respond to performance gaps with support, an improvement plan and sound records.
- Run a yearly calendar and improve the system in small cycles.
Your toolkit
Simple tools for every stage
Performance Cycle Map
Draw · Mark · Next step · Share
See the whole cycle.
Role Expectations Sheet
Results · Standards · Behaviors · Priorities
Write what good work looks like.
Goal Card
Goal · Measure · Why · Support · Check-in
A short, specific goal.
Check-in Agenda
Their turn · Progress · Obstacles · Support · Notes
A regular, useful conversation.
Feedback Note
Saw · Impact · Next time · Your view
Feedback aimed at the work.
Coaching Plan
Goal · Reality · Options · Way forward
Growth tied to the work.
Evidence Log
Date · Event · Standard · Impact
Facts across the whole period.
Fairness Check
Compare · Examples · Role sheets · HR
Check consistency.
Review Conversation Plan
Open · Their view · Evidence · Plan · Close
No surprises, agreed next steps.
Improvement Plan
Gap · Cause · Goal · Support · Checks
Support first, with a clear plan.
Documentation Checklist
Dated · Factual · Shared · HR first
Records worth keeping.
Performance Calendar
Calendar · Signals · Survey · Test
A yearly rhythm and signals.
Plan. Check in. Review. Support. Improve.
Curriculum
Inside the course
4 modules, 12 lessons with worked examples
01
Foundations of the Cycle
See the whole cycle and set clear expectations and goals.
02
Everyday Practice
Check-ins, feedback and coaching all year.
03
Reviews and Fairness
Write fair reviews and hold good conversations.
04
Hard Cases and Running the System
Support, records, and a system that improves.
What is included
Skills, tools and templates you keep and use in your work
- 12 lessons, each with a written lesson, worked examples and figures, at your own pace
- A short stand-alone example in every lesson, drawn from many kinds of workplaces
- A fillable Workbook with Try it and Reflect pages for every lesson
- Performance Templates (Word) for every teaching tool
- A practice tracker with live formulas, a solutions version and a reusable template
- Quick Reference Cards and the Practice Examples
- An optional visual companion PDF with every lesson figure
- Knowledge checks for every module and a 20-question final assessment
- A capstone you can build for your own team or from practice scenarios, with a rubric you use to check your own work
- Access to the Camderson Academy community
- A Camderson Academy Certificate of Completion when you pass the final assessment and the capstone
Is this course right for you?
This course is for you if
- You set goals, give feedback or take part in reviews
- You want a fair, simple system that people trust
- You want a calendar and records worth keeping
It is not the right fit if
- You need legal advice about a specific case
- You want a course to tell you what the law requires where you live
- You need training on one HR software product
- You want a system built for you, with no practice
Your instructor
Meet your instructor
Taught by Camderson Advisory
A consulting firm for practical workplace skills
Your instructor is Camderson Advisory, a consulting firm that helps organizations build practical skills for the people who do the work. In this course, your instructor helps you build a performance system that is clear, regular and fair for everyone.
About
About Camderson Academy
Camderson Academy is the education division of Camderson Advisory Services. Camderson helps leaders build organizations that work without them in the room. Everything we teach has been used in a real organization first.
Training a team?
We offer group enrollment for teams and whole organizations that want everyone, in every role and department, to build the same skills. Email connect@camderson.com to talk through your group.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need any experience or a previous course?
No. There is no prerequisite and no HR background is needed. If you set goals, give feedback or take part in reviews, you are ready.
Who is this course for?
HR leads, managers, supervisors and team members in any department. The examples come from many kinds of workplaces, and the methods fit offices, clinics, schools, nonprofits and shops of every size.
How long do I have access?
Your access does not expire. We review the course on a regular cycle, and any updates are added for you at no extra cost.
How long does it take?
About 5 hours in total, including the written lessons, the Try it exercises, the knowledge checks, the final assessment and the capstone. Everything is self-paced.
Questions about your purchase?
Email support through academy.camderson.com.
What tools do I need?
A spreadsheet program that opens .xlsx files (Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers or LibreOffice Calc), a word processor that opens .docx files and a PDF reader. All templates and practice files are included as downloads.
Do I have to use my own workplace for the capstone?
No. You can build your plan for the practice scenarios in the Capstone Practice Brief included in the course. If you use your own workplace, leave out names and anything confidential.
Does the course recommend products or give professional advice?
No. It works in any system or on paper and names no product as the one to use. It is general education and not legal advice, and it helps you prepare questions for HR or your own employment attorney. Camderson Academy is not affiliated with any software vendor. Laws and rules vary by state and country and they change, so before you act on a real situation, talk with your own attorney or qualified professional. Where a lesson names a source, it says what the source said on the date we read it.
What does the certificate confirm?
You receive a Camderson Academy Certificate of Completion after passing the final assessment and completing the capstone. This certificate confirms completion of a Camderson Academy course.
How was this course written and checked?
This course was written and edited by Camderson Advisory. Sources are listed with the date each was read. Where a source could not be opened on that date, the Sources page says so. This course teaches skills for everyday work. It is not legal, tax, financial, medical or professional advice. Laws and rules vary by place and change over time, so talk with your own attorney or qualified professional about your situation. Last updated: November 2026. Next planned review: November 2027.
Help people do their best work, and make it fair.
Self-paced, about 5 hours, with a Workbook, templates, Quick Reference Cards and a practice tracker.
This course earns a Camderson Academy Certificate of Completion. This certificate confirms completion of a Camderson Academy course. This course is general education about building performance management practices: goals, check-ins, feedback, reviews, support and documentation. It is not legal, tax, financial or professional advice. Rules for rating, discipline, records and pay vary by country, state and employer, and they change, and what is true for one employer or place may not be true for yours. Before you act on a sensitive case such as a performance improvement plan, a rating after a complaint, or an ending of employment, talk with your human resources team and your own employment attorney. Where a lesson names a source, it says what the source said on the date we read it. Open the source yourself before you rely on it. No tool or software product is endorsed, and the methods work in any system or on paper. Examples, numbers and the organizations in the case are fictional or illustrative. Camderson Academy is not affiliated with any software vendor.